A smoothie for breakfast can be quick, easy, healthful, and filling—and, if you're TV star and author of The EveryGirl’s Guide to Diet and Fitness, Maria Menounos, it can also get pretty creative. For this healthy smoothie, Maria doesn't rely on a strict recipe—she usually eyeballs what she puts in the blender, so these amounts are kind of approximate. And she occasionally switches out the blueberries for bananas or strawberries. 3 to 5 ounces nonfat Greek yogurt 1 to 2 tablespoons almond butter 1/2 cup to 1 cup blueberries 1/4 almond milk (or the liquid of your choice) And while this is her go-to morning drink, she sometimes switches it up—or at least her mother does: "When my mom is in town, she makes me scrambled eggs and feta for breakfast," she says. "It’s delicious and gives me energy to get me through lunch and sometimes beyond." Maria dropped 40 pounds just after college, and she's got some sensible advice for healthy eating (and potential weight loss of our own): "With your health, it's all about balance," she says. "I try to eat healthy 75 percent of the time, leaving 25 percent room to play, to account for 'cheat meals' read more

December is rolling right along, and more than likely the holiday-party panic has started to set in. What will you wear? How should you do your makeup? What's a good hostess gift? What should you do with your hair? Well, Maria Menounos provided the answer to that last one last night. The banded ponytail. This idea has popped up a few times around here, and it's always a hit when it does. Maria herself has even worn a style similar to this before. It's just so easy! All you do is put your hair in a ponytail as usual, then at even intervals, place elastic bands down the length of the tail. Bet you can handle that. Now go find a hostess gift. Oh, and here's another holiday hair idea: The party braid! read more

I've often asked celebs to share their best advice, and usually it goes something like this: Work hard, treat everyone as you want to be treated, etc. It's all sage advice, but sometimes you want something different. You know, like the equivalent of Flintstones vitamins: Good for you and tastes good too! So, at Variety's Power of Women luncheon, presented by Lifetime and sponsored by Audi, I asked various celebs to share their most ridiculous but totally awesome advice. You're welcome. Nikki Reed "Someone said to me recently, 'Just get horizontal!' Get horizontal for five minutes and close your eyes. It’s so true. I’ve been running around hard lately—I've maybe been on 30 planes in the last two months, and it’s been so intense, so it’s great advice. [That], and meditate." Bryce Dallas Howard "Everything is permissible until you ask permission. Just go for it and don't actually ask permission. That’s an important one for me because I’m a little bit...I always want to be appropriate, I always want to be a good girl, so that’s a good one. Also, done is better than perfect. So don’t feel like you need to wait until everything is perfect." Viola Davis "When read more

Any time Maria Menounos drops a hair secret, we really all need to listen. Which is why you've got to watch the little clip she posted to Instagram below. In it, she shows her hairstylist Dimitris Giannetos' secret to making cornrow braids look just a little softer: He mists her scalp with a tinted hairspray (like this kind from Bumble and Bumble) to shade the skin in between them. Pretty smart, wouldn't you say? No wonder her hair always looks so perfect. read more

Even though Maria Menounos seems to have always have an endless pool of hair ideas of her own, apparently she gets inspiration from Heidi Klum occasionally too. She posted this side-by-side comparison of the three-tiered ponytail she copies from the America's Got Talent judge with the caption "Thnx for the #hairinspiration @heidiklum !! Glam @giannetos." Heidi's really served as a jumping-off point—Maria's was a little more streamlined and the points where the pony was pinned are farther apart than Heidi's. I'd say the left one is a little more fun/daytime-y, and the right one is more high-fashion, but they're both cute in the end. And it's nice to know that stars scour red carpet photos for inspiration just like the rest of us, no? read more

I've made no secret of the fact that I'm kind of obsessed with Maria Menounos' hair—that glorious Greek mane has been pinned, curled, and braided into some of my all-time favorite hairstyles (like this one). So I might need a minute to process this. You might too. Maria Menounos cut her hair. She posted this shot to Instagram with the caption "What are we thinking about the new shorter do? Needed to cut the dead ends! @ninezeroone @nikkilee901 @riawnacapri thnx for ur patience-I was so scared to do it!" In reality it's not that short, but it's short for the TV host. And it actually looks cute on her at this just-past-her-shoulders length. I might be on board here. Are you? read more

Maria Menounos and her magical hair may have just made the rest of your summer much much better. Because this cute braid hairstyle might just be your new daily go-to for three reasons: 1) We haven't seen it a million times before. Cute but not expected. 2) It doesn't require you to pile all your hair on top of your hair, which means no hair headache. And 3) It's easy to pull off. All you'd have to do is... —Part your hair to the side, but instead of brushing the hair down over the opposite ear, brush it in a diagonal back behind your opposite shoulder. —Right by the part, start a French braid and continue it for out four or five inches. Then secure with a small elastic band and use a hairpin to secure it in place. —Repeat the braid step two more times going away from the part. Any of you going to try it out? read more

It's not technically summer yet, but your hair doesn't have to know that. These two side braids Maria Menounos and Miranda Lambert wore this week will get you through the entire season in style. Maria went with a regular side braid for a signing event for her new book The Everygirl's Guide to Diet and Fitness yesterday: While Miranda went with some messy fishtail action: But, while they went for two different braid styles, these looks have three things in common. 1) They're side braids. 2) They're not perfect—a little messy is sexy. And 3) They both include some height at the top of the head. Keep these three things in mind and your side braids will be completely on-trend in the coming weeks. Pretty simple, no? read more

OK, I can get the thinking behind the updo Maria Menounos wore to the People StyleWatch Denim Awards presented by Gilt last night. It was an event celebrating jeans, which became popular in the '50s, when pompadours where the big (pun intended) hairstyle of the day. But, well, this is what she came up with: A terrfiying tower of hair. And I'm not handling it well because Maria is usually so on with her hair choices that I feel we are hair soul mates. And I don't understand why my soul mate would do this to me. Why, soul mate? I feel betrayed. My bruised heart knows deep down inside that in the next few days she'll go out with a fantastic hairstyle that will set everything right again. But for now I need support. Leave me your condolences in the comments! Photos: Getty Images read more

The little hair move expert hair-wearer Maria Menounos wore on the set of Extra this week is great for those of you with bangs. The front of her hair was simply brought to the side and twisted half a turn down toward the floor before getting pinned there. It just gave the look a little extra something special to up the cuteness factor. You know, all Maria Menounos-style. Any of you thinking of trying it out this weekend? Photos: Splash News read more

As we've mentioned, Milly designer Michelle Smith is collaborating with Banana Republic on a special 60-piece capsule collection of men's and women's clothing ranging from $25 to $175. The line hits stores on May 30, but it looks like Zoe Saldana, Olivia Palermo, and Maria Menounos have already gotten their hands on some of the pieces. Zoe Saldana was spotted wearing the Coral Multi-Stripe fit-and-flare dress from the collection while running errands in New York City. It will retail for $150. Olivia Palermo strolled around the city in the navy-and-white elephant-print shorts from the collection that go for $55. Maria Menounos snagged a smoothie in an aqua, navy, and white color-blocked pleated maxidress that will cost you $165 to own. What do you think of these Banana Republic Milly pieces. Anything you absolutely must get your hands on? Set a reminder because the collection goes on sale in two days and will probably fly off the shelves! Photos: Michael Simon / Startraks read more

So check out this lineup: Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio, Charlize Theron, Elle Fanning, Kirsten Dunst, Betty White, President Clinton, etc. One would think we were smack dab in the middle of awards season again, but think again because only one event could bring out so many stars without a movie to promote: the 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards. The awards recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community and the issues that affect their lives. Sara Ramirez (Callie, Grey's Anatomy) chatted with me about playing such a dynamic character and that crazy Grey's finale that you know is just around the corner. Sara Gilbert, co-host and executive producer/creator of The Talk, talked candidly with me about marriage equality and her contributions to daytime TV. Love you, lady! Naya Rivera (Santana, Glee) truly has some of the best Twitter fans in the world, and that's evident every time I tweet out a picture of her. So, guys, this video message is for you! Maria Menounos, a Boston native, had just returned from her hometown (where she was on reporter duty for Extra) and talked with me about read more

Years ago, Maria Menounos--host of Extra, author of The EveryGirl's Guide to Life, competitor in Dancing With the Stars, owner of gorgeous hair and super-fit bikini body—lost 40 pounds, going from a size 14 to a size 4. And later on, she broke two ribs and fractured her foot while competing on Dancing With the Stars—it was a huge bummer, obviously, and she was off her feet without the opportunity to exercise. When I talked to her about both, she said there was one thing that kept her on track: healthy eating. "When I lost 40 pounds, I lost the first 20 by diet alone," she says. "At that point, I started working exercise into the equation." The same thing was true when she was off her feet due to her DWTS injuries: "I was injured all this last year. My feet were not healing and I wasn’t able to do much. But I maintained my shape with healthy eating." Now, Maria is bringing awareness to the link between healthy eating and self-esteem with a new PSA for avocados from Mexico. "There are so many things that contribute to self-esteem," she says. "But I've found there's a lot to say read more

I warned you that the '90s signature hairstyle, the volume-on-top thing that Cindy Crawford basically made every girl in the world try at some point in that decade, was popping up in Hollywood. It reappeared just yesterday, in fact. On Maria Menounos. She joins Sarah Jessica Parker, Jennifer Lopez, and Bar Refaeli on the list of stars who have taken their volume back in time (but up in the front) recently. Will this take off in the real world? Perhaps. While I do think it's funny that my teenage self would have fit right in with these ladies, this was one of the least ridiculous hair trends of that period. So I'll allow it. But if the "Rachel" ever comes back, for example, I'm just going to have to put my foot down. Photos: Getty Images read more

I've certainly never seen the exact mix of things going on with Maria Menounos' braid on the set of Extra here. It looks simple, but when you see the detail, there's actually a lot to take in! read more

Last Friday, I attended the Variety’s Power of Women luncheon as a guest of Audi, and it was a room packed with both substance and style. Here, some of my favorite looks, and few memorable quotes from the afternoon. read more

Leave it to down-to-earth Extra host Maria Menounos to write a book that's as relatable as it gets. The Everygirl's Guide to Life pretty much makes us want Maria to be our BFF. Which is why we're so excited she'll be joining us for a Facebook chat today, doling out her fabulous advice to each and every one of you. But in the meantime, check out her DOs and DON'Ts of being an everygirl in Hollywood (which you'll love even if you don't have dreams of stardom). read more

Hollywood's hottest do-gooders gathered last night for VH1's Do Something Awards, a celebration of people making a difference in a variety of awesome causes, and the stars dressed to impress. Check out our favorites, then vote for yours... read more